£10,000 Lottery Grant To Help Uncover Hidden Histories At Bembridge Fort

The Bembridge Fort Trust has been awarded a £10,000 grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, in partnership with the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Community Foundation (HIWCF) and Creative Island, as part of the Past Futures initiative.

The funding, along with a further £3,200 from philanthropic donors, will support a new project called Forgotten People, Lost Technologies.

The initiative aims to uncover untold stories from the Fort’s 150-year history and reconnect the local community with this important landmark through workshops, events and tours.

The project will involve volunteers, schools, community and history groups, and builds on the Trust’s successful heritage work from the past year.

It’s hoped it will help bring Bembridge Fort and its neighbouring fortifications back into wider community use and establish it as a heritage destination after many years of limited public access.

The Trust is calling on Island residents, relatives, veterans and local storytellers to share memories, photos or documents relating to Bembridge Fort, Redcliff Battery, Yaverland Battery, Culver Battery, the Old Radio Station, or the Yaverland Cold War ROC Bunker.

Anyone with stories or memorabilia connected to Micron (Aerial) Engineering, the local company that has operated inside the Fort since 1968, is also invited to get in touch.

As part of the project, the Trust will host free workshops to record personal stories and teach participants how to restore, colourise and animate old photographs.

The team hopes to uncover forgotten personal histories, explore wartime experiences and highlight the innovative defensive technologies that once operated in complete secrecy within the Fort’s walls.

Chairman David Reeves thanked all the funding partners and encouraged Islanders to take part, saying the project will help ensure local stories and family histories are preserved for future generations.

To contribute or find out more, email info@bembridgefort.org.